Pfizer Agrees to Pay $75M to Settle Nigerian Drug-Test Case

Without admitting liability, Pfizer has agreed to pay $75 million to settle criminal and civil cases in Nigeria alleging that the world’s largest drug company illegally tested the antibiotic Trovan on children there during a 1996 meningitis epidemic.

The drug allegedly killed 11 children and disabled dozens more; however, Pfizer says the deaths and injuries were caused by meningitis, reports the Washington Post.

The settlement concerns cases in the Nigerian state of Kano, but does not conclude a separate federal case, attorney Babatunde Irukera, who represents Kano, tells the Post.

In a written statement, Pfizer said it conducted the tests with both government and parental approval. The company agreed to the settlement to “allow Pfizer and the Nigerian governments to focus on what matters – improving healthcare for all Nigerians.”